The makeup of the five-member County Commissioners Court will change Jan. 1 when two newly elected officials take office.

Commissioners-elect Carlos Leon and Vince Perez will join Sergio Lewis and Dan Haggerty and County Judge Veronica Escobar on the court, which during the past two years has focused on revamping county government.

"We've made some major changes in the last two years," Escobar said.

"We have implemented some huge culture changes and really raised the bar for the court as well as our professional team, and the new court, I hope, will continue that momentum."

REPORTER

Cindy Ramirez

In the past two years, the court has made various policy and procedure changes -- implementing for the first time a strategic plan and creating a capital improvement plan. The court has also set new procedures for actions such as appointing board and committee members, purchasing goods and services, and awarding multimillion-dollar contracts.

"Decisions used to be arbitrary and political," Escobar said. She took office in 2011 and served as a county commissioner from 2007 to 2010.

"Now they're policy-driven, process-driven and strategic," she said.

Most immediately, Escobar said, the court will work with its lobbying firm and state legislators during the "chaos and challenges" of the coming Legislative session, begin the capital improvement plan and appoint members to the University Medical Center board of directors.

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Leon and Perez, elected to office Nov. 6 after winning in the Democratic primary in the spring, said they've already been studying the county's budget, processes and priorities.

Commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $60,855 annually.

"For the most part, the City of El Paso in recent years has been the leader in driving forward-thinking policies for the region," Perez said.

"The county is now following and becoming part of the drive and the plan to move the city and the region forward."

Perez, 30, will be the youngest of the five commissioners. He previously worked as the communications director for outgoing U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso.

He is working as a public relations consultant with the El Paso Independent School District -- a job he says he will leave Dec. 31.

Among his plans as commissioner are to more effectively promote the Mission Trail, especially among El Pasoans, to put greater emphasis on public parks in unincorporated areas of the county and to continue with the creation of the county's first transportation reinvestment zone.

Perez will represent Precinct 3, which encompasses most of the Lower Valley and a part of the East Side east of Loop 375, areas that include many of the county's impoverished colonias.

Perez replaces Tania Chozet, who was appointed by Escobar in March after former Commissioner Willie Gandara Jr. resigned. Gandara pleaded guilty to federal drug smuggling charges in August and was sentenced Thursday to six and a half years in a federal prison.

Chozet has said she has no aspirations of running for the commissioner position in the future, but had not ruled out politics altogether. A lawyer with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Chozet didn't return calls for comment.

Leon said it's important to continue building trust and transparency in county government, given the turbulence on the court the past five years. At least eight county elected officials and employees have been indicted or convicted in the region's widespread public corruption scandal.

"I appreciate that the court has been focusing more on policy than on politics and implementing measures to ensure the public -- and ourselves -- that we are working honestly and with the best business practices," said Leon, a former El Paso chief of police who retired after 30 years with the department. He is now a consultant for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Leon said he plans to continue using strong business practices and will work to leverage state and federal dollars through more aggressive pursuit of grants. He said he also will evaluate business contracts to ensure they're providing the best service at the best cost for taxpayers. He said he will also oversee the continued redevelopment of the El Paso County Sportspark in Far East El Paso and establish a citizens advisory board in his precinct.

Leon will represent Precinct 1, which includes the Far East Side west of Loop 375.

Leon replaces outgoing Commissioner Anna Perez, who was elected judge of the 41st Judicial District Court in November. She took office on the Commissioners Court in 2009 and previously worked as the county's division chief for the Civil Litigation Unit and as an assistant district attorney.

"We've seen an evolution of what county government is," Perez said.

"That's one of the things I'm most proud of, is having been a part of that reorganization and reform of county government."

Besides the policy changes, Perez added, she is most proud that the renovation of the Sportspark finally got under way after years of wrangling over whether the county should sell it, relocate it or invest in its upgrade. The $7 million in construction began in October, and a section of the park is expected to open in June 2013.

The other two commissioners' terms expire in 2014. Sergio Lewis was sworn in to his first term as Precinct 2 commissioner in 2011.

Haggerty, the only Republican on the court, has served Precinct 4 for about 18 years.

"The dynamics are going to change when there's four men and one lady on the court," said Haggerty, who is battling cancer. He said he'll start radiation therapy in December, and isn't sure what his personal or political prognosis may hold.

"Will I run again? I just might, if I'm still around," Haggerty said in his usual no-nonsense demeanor.

"We'll see how the tea leaves read."

Offering a few words of advice to the incoming commissioners, Haggerty said, "Don't get too wrapped up in the day-to-day issues and look at the big picture. Stay consistent and true to your own beliefs but be open to listening to others. And have a good time, have fun on the job."

Cindy Ramirez may be reached at cramirez@elpasotimes.co;m 546-6151.

The two county commissioners elected to office in the Nov. 6 general election will be sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2013.

County commissioners-electThe two county commissioners elected to office in the Nov. 6 general election will be sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2013.Precinct 1:"Carlos Leon

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